oil leaking...

[ShiroiKaze]

Hey guys! Here's the story with this car: Bought it from a couple guys (who were not Fiat guys) who had done a lot of work on this car and abandoned it. As far as the engine goes, they'd decided to pull the cam towers and painted them. They replaced the gaskets. Replaced the valve cover gaskets also.

Yesterday I took it for a drive for the first time after getting it running, a run of a few hours. I've got oil leaking on both intake and exhaust sides, basically oil everywhere. Oil on the cam gears, oil hitting the exhaust manifold (very unpleasant) and basically oil everywhere. Oil pressure dipped down while I was driving and as a precaution I had brought oil with me, so I'd topped it up for the drive home. It's hard to tell exactly WHERE it's coming from, seems like everywhere. I'm wondering if I need to pull the whole top end apart and do it over?

Also there is a vacuum leak on the intake plenum somewhere (it's a FI converted '77) but I've not been able to find it. Could a blown brake booster cause this as well? Noticed on the drive home that if I step on the brakes, the idle speed drops down as well.

When I was in L.A. I used to rely on my Armenian mechanic for these things, but as far out as I am there are no options but to tackle this myself.

[ShiroiKaze]

Also, because all of my other Spiders were carbureted, I'm not familiar with the fuel injection...I hear a slight hiss coming from the plenum, is this normal? Some of the threads were stripped on the bolts that fit the plenum cover on, so I've replaced them with longer bolts and a nut. Think I've got the vacuum leaks dialed, the idle speed is down closer to where it should be now, it was at 1200...

[ShiroiKaze]

ordered new cam seals. I would think that if you took apart the cam towers you would install new seals? Guess I'd only assumed...Other than that it drives well, quite a bit of oil seems to leak in vapor form from the around the dipstic...I'm not sure what that would indicate, it's been so long since I had one of these.

[redcars]

You said they took the cam towers off an painted them. My guses is that through PO messed up the cam box gaskets. I bought a spider that was like that and it did leak oil everywhere. This was done by a "european car mechanic". I put new cam box gaskets and timing belt on it for $30 and was good to go. If you do this check the valve clearances as the gaskets are not all the same thickness. The mechanic that did mine had the gaskets out of place and tourn.

[ShiroiKaze]

Will start with the most obvious leaks first, the front cam seals. Then I suppose will have no other choice but to pull the cam towers...what a pain...most of the oil is coming from these very leaky cam seals, wicking across where the cam boxes meet the head, and then dripping onto the ex. manifold. The guys I bought the car from were DEFINITELY not experienced. They dropped the project in favor of a Corvair. I just don't understand it.

Also got a new intake manifold gasket, maybe that will cure the high idle once and for all. The majority of the plenum bolts were stripped out, so I used some slightly longer bolts to attach a nut to the manifold beneath. Idle is now down to around 900, but still revs a bit around the manifold gasket when I spray carb cleaner down there...hope the new gasket fixes that problem.

[tomlebatisseur]

I ve had this kind of oil leak on a 2000 injection.

I ve searched searched again finaly i have found the problem with the camera of my phone.....

it was simply one of the stud (bolt) fixing the exhaust gasket, a loosed bolt

You must know that this stud (i dont know if it s was right word) communicating with head valve container and....oil

[ShiroiKaze]

yes it does seem to be coming in contact with the exhaust manifold in one other place, between cyl 2 and 3, but not as much as from the front...it basically sprays out...I'd say it shows the engine needs rebuilding soon...oil blowing past the pistons.

[madspeed]

I ve had this kind of oil leak on a 2000 injection.

I ve searched searched again finaly i have found the problem with the camera of my phone.....

it was simply one of the stud (bolt) fixing the exhaust gasket, a loosed bolt

You must know that this stud (i dont know if it s was right word) communicating with head valve container and....oil

Hmmm, maybe I just stumbled upon my problem.... Is this a common issue?

[ShiroiKaze]

Ok, so I got the cam bolts off (finally) and cut the old seals open with a cut-off wheel, prying them out...sanded the new ones around the edge to get the paint off and lightly tapped them in. No leaks. Put everything back together, fixed the plenum gasket, replaced the intake manifold gasket (it was due to fail soon) and basically just used the bits I have without buying anything new. It runs really smooth now. Still idles a little high, around 900 or so...have not been able to get it down lower than that at normal running temperature. It doesn't want to die like it used to, but can't get the speed down...new aux air valve, new o-ring on idle speed screw (all the way seated) new coolant temp switch, It runs great otherwise. It's nice having a 2L and F.I in the older pre-2000 car...I like the aesthetic a little better...

[RRoller123]

That is great! Check the hoses from the charcoal canister to the intake plenum, and from the brake booster for cracks or leaks. Make sure that the snap on cap is in the opening on top of the canister. Air may be getting in those places.

Pete

[ShiroiKaze]

well I failed the brake and light inspection...they dinged me for the high-beam INDICATOR light on the speedo...which is just dim...dammit...and rear brakes are needy...guess brake job in the AM is in order, have new shocks for the rear also, why not? It still leaks a bit of oil...Took it out for about 4 hours, and though it's pretty smooth...there is still a bit of oil leaking somewhere...have to look tomorrow, but it's neither on the intake side nor the exhaust side, nor the front...I fear the rear seal is leaking...it's not catastrophic, but annoying. At least it's not FLINGING oil like it was. There is still a fair bit of pressure in the crank...so it really needs a full overhaul. Oh yeah, this morning the heater control valve exploded on my way out of town, so had to think fast, a connector for irrigation pipe just barely fit. Driveshaft feels like it needs new bits too...otherwise it's alright. So many new parts, but still a few to get since pretty much everything is worn out on this car. What's left is the driveshaft, rear brakes and shocks (tomorrow) and if I ever feel like it, all the rear bushings...

[ShiroiKaze]

Looks like it's the dipstick tube seal that is leaking for sure...I wonder if I can get away with some RTV in the mean time...otherwise all tuned up and running great. No more vacuum leaks, purrs just fine when warmed up at 750-800.

[KevAndAndi]

Sounds good! Definitely check the giubo (not the "guibo", which doesn't exist ) and the driveshaft's center support bearing. From the description of the condition of the car, I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the rubber on one or both of those items is shot.

[sptcoupe]

On the high idle, check your timing at idle. If it is too far advanced it will idle high. Have you also adjusted the TPS? That will make it idle high if the ECU thinks the throttle plate is open further than it is.

[ShiroiKaze]

So I found something interesting...not surprising though...a nest of wires going to the combi-relay, I thought I'd fixed all the intermittent connections, but still one remained...at idle you can hear it clicking...when it clicks one way, it idles high, another way it returns to normal. Now that that is fixed, it's been reliably staying around 750 when it warms up....it does run incredibly smooth...

There's no way around it, pulling the dipstick tube out, there were two independent layers of RTV making a sort of gasket...no seal there at all. There seems to be also oil dripping on the exhaust pipe just in front of where the trans and the engine meet. The dist. seal is new, it's not coming from the cam towers, so what else is there on that side?

Sounds good! Definitely check the giubo (not the "guibo", which doesn't exist ) and the driveshaft's center support bearing. From the description of the condition of the car, I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the rubber on one or both of those items is shot.

I like guibo...it's like an Italian henchman...and that is brand new...but I'm detecting a tiny bit of noise from the u-joints...maybe support bearing could be changed as well...

Oh man...slowly but surely...